ACCOR STADIUM, SYDNEY — While Western Sydney eventually succumb 6-4 to Chelsea in an entertaining hit out on Tuesday night at Accor Stadium, a couple of things were very clear about last year’s cellar dwellers.
New boss Ufuk Talay encouraged them to press aggressively despite the caliber of opponent, something that will be the hallmark of their game plan this season.
That intent was already a better sign for Wanderers fans disconsolate after a barren run in the A-League.
“We are Western Sydney and we do represent a massive community out in Western Sydney and it’s a hard working community and we want to represent that in the football that we play,” Talay said after.
“So the boys work tirelessly, try to press every single time that the opponent had the ball and and there was times that they did it very well and there was times that the opponent’s quality played through. But we dealt with those moments as well…
“This is our third game in pre season; the boys did work very hard and we scored some very nice goals as well.”
The other standout was that midfielder Dylan Scicluna is a class act, who looked very much at home throughout the contest, culminating in a stunning goal.
“Dylan did very well in the midfield,” Talay said.
Western Sydney had plenty of highlights against Chelsea. Photo: Georgie Lewis
“I think he controlled a lot of things with the ball; he was brave and positive.
“Overall I think the mentality and attitude was great, everyone I think they pushed themselves to the max in every opportunity that they got.
“But the young boys came on, they did well, they worked hard, and then obviously they made changes as well, which influenced the game.
“It’s a great experience for those boys to see.
“They want to be professionals, they want to go overseas and play football, and it’s nice for them to see what the quality is when they do go overseas.”
He continued: “If you look at the last few years of the players that have gone overseas, I think the Australian market has become a a very great market for teams to find these type of players.
“I think we’ve got a few players there like Migsy (Miguel Di Pizio), even Panashe Madanha is still at a young age, Dyl, Nathan Barrie. We’ve got a few very good talented players that we believe that can take that next step.”
Others to impress included Anthony Pantazopoulos, who scored the opener and had kept Liam Delap relatively quiet in the first period, while teenager Awan Lual, currently top scorer in the NPL NSW, is now a goal scorer against Chelsea.
“It’s a place where players can showcase their quality against a quality opposition and I’m happy for Awan to score a goal.
Ufuk Talay after the Sydney Super Cup. Photo: Charlotte Neal.
“I think Carluccio was a little bit unselfish there, he had an opportunity to do it himself but he decided to pass it on to Lual and he scored and he got his goal and look he’s doing fantastic in that NPL space and he’s training with us with the first team and we’ll slowly try to integrate him into the first team as well.”
It was also clear just how much this opportunity meant to these players. While pre-season friendlies can often be derided, tell that to Aydan Hammond, in tears after scoring to put his side ahead, or to Chelsea fan Jarrod Carluccio, who won the ball with an aggressive press for the fourth goal, but was probably even happier taking home Cole Palmer’s jersey.
“They can learn a lot, just by watching these type of players experience that on the field as well,” Talay said of the occasion.
“I think the boys were quite excited last couple of days leading into this game.
“It’s a great opportunity for our players to play against a quality side like Chelsea.”
He continued: “It ended up being a nice spectacle for the fans with ten goals all up.
“But overall now pleased with the output of our boys. I think they worked very hard and our focus on this game was more so how we wanted to play and what we wanted to do and there’s some very good moments and some moments that we need to definitely improve on as well.
“But overall we tried to give the young boys an experience as well to play against a side like Chelsea.
“I think they would thoroughly enjoy that.”
Wanderers celebrate taking the lead. Photo: Georgie Lewis
Like all of these pre-season friendlies, it is a chance for the A-Leagues players to showcase themselves to a different audience – both as a group, and individually.
“For me, the A-League is the best league in the (world). It’s our own league, it’s in our own backyard. The game finished 6-4 today, a little bit like basketball, but for me the A-League is quite entertaining.”
It isn’t just neutrals who would have been looking on curiously, but also the Wanderers’ faithful, many of whom have had their patience tested in recent seasons.
“We have the longest pre-season in football history so we’re still slowly building, working the boys to understand what we want tactically and also at the same time trying to get them fit as well,” he explained.
“The belief has been there from day one. I think the enthusiasm and the mentality has been fantastic and it makes my job as a coach a lot easier to work with these players.
“We’re slowly building and we’ll continue to work.”
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